Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham: Watkins ends drought as McGinn and Buendia inspire comeback

Aston Villa produced a stirring fightback at Villa Park to beat Fulham 3-1, with goals from Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia overturning Raul Jiménez’s early opener.

The match began with Fulham on top, Jiménez giving the visitors the lead inside three minutes with a sharp finish after a clever ball into the box. But the Mexican striker’s evening ended prematurely when he limped off injured shortly afterwards, replaced by former Villa winger Adama Traoré.

Despite the setback, Fulham continued to look dangerous on the counter through Josh King, who had two strong penalty shouts waved away in the first half. The second, when Matty Cash blocked his shot with an outstretched arm, left many puzzled after no penalty was awarded.

Villa, however, gradually grew into the contest. Watkins ended his goal drought in the 38th minute, running onto Lucas Digne’s pass and lifting a clever finish over Bernd Leno. VAR confirmed the goal after a brief offside check.

The second half belonged to Villa’s midfield. Within six minutes of the restart, they were ahead. Buendia combined neatly before feeding McGinn, who rifled a thunderous strike past Leno to make it 2-1.

Just two minutes later, Buendia turned scorer himself, arriving in the box to smash home Watkins’ cutback for his first Villa goal in over a year. The Argentine, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, capped a dream cameo with a goal and assist in under ten minutes.

Villa saw out the contest with control, their midfield dominance and clinical finishing proving too much for Fulham. McGinn’s leadership and Buendia’s spark underlined the depth and quality at Unai Emery’s disposal.

FootballPlace analyst John William praised Villa’s resilience: “Going behind so early could have rattled them, but Villa showed maturity and quality to turn the game. Watkins’ goal was vital for confidence, while McGinn led by example. Buendia’s cameo was exactly what Emery needed — energy, vision and end product.”

On Fulham, he added: “Josh King was excellent and unlucky with the penalty calls, but defensively Fulham switched off at key moments. Against a side as ruthless as Villa, that’s fatal.”

Villa will look to use this victory as a springboard as they continue to push towards the top half of the table. With Buendia back among the goals and Watkins rediscovering his touch, Emery has reasons to be optimistic.

Fulham, meanwhile, will reflect on missed opportunities and controversial refereeing calls. Marco Silva’s men need to tighten up defensively and hope Jiménez’s injury is not long-term if they are to avoid being dragged towards the relegation zone.

👉 Was this comeback proof that Villa are back on track, or did Fulham’s missed chances make them look better than they were?